Archives for October 2010

Michelob “Gold Medal” Sampler Pack This fall, Michelob Brewing Co. will debut a new “gold medal” sampler pack comprised exclusively of Michelob beers that have received top honors at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) or the North American Beer Awards (NABA). Available nationwide through February, the sampler pack includes Michelob Original Lager (2001, 2003

The #1 Mexican Soft Drinks Sold in The U.S Come by booth #6761 and discover the exotic Mexican soft drink flavors of Jarritos, Sidral Mundet and Sangria Senorial. They are a proven hit with teen and young adult C-store customers across the country. Ask about our custom cross category promotions and merchandising support. Booth #6761

If you sell diesel fuel, then you need a CAT Scale. Join the world’s leading public truck scale network. Over 1,275 certified scales located across the United States and Canada. No startup costs. All equipment, maintenance and staff training is provided by CAT Scale Company. National advertising program, 24-Hour Help Desk and a loyal customer

The Kellogg Convenience Store Team is excited to introduce Keebler® Fudge Shoppe® Jumbo Fudge Sticks and other new products this year from our innovative and powerful brands. Come see us at NACS booth 4953 for more information. 888-289-5554. Booth #4953 Kellogg Conveniencewww.kelloggconvenience.com

The f’real program offers three delicious product lines in one simple blending system—classic Milkshakes, real fruit Smoothies and gourmet Frozen Cappuccinos. f’real’s new FRLB4 has a dynamic 22” touch screen, integrated ServiceAlert™ diagnostics, and is 100% self cleaning and sanitizing. Having a great-tasting frozen beverage destination has never been so easy. Booth #7940 f’realwww.freal.com

JT International U.S.A. (JTI) has introduced its newest brand: WINGS. A high-quality, American blend cigarette with a smooth flavor, WINGS is designed for today’s value-seeking adult smokers with its bold, premium packaging and attractive price. WINGS is available in six top-selling box styles, including Red, Gold and Menthol in King Size and 100’s. WINGS is

The weak economy has not taken much of a bite out of meat snack sales. Americans are loathe to sacrifice edible indulgences, even in times of financial crisis. All three NACS snacks categories—salty, packaged sweet and alternative—showed increases in average sales per store from 2008 to 2009, and showed gross-margin percentage and average gross-margin-dollar-per-store gains.

Milk’s Bumpy Ride In Mintel International’s new “Milk in the U.S.” report, senior analyst David Browne predicted a “bumpy ride” for the $11-billion milk market. Few categories, he noted, are as volatile as milk, which is reflected in the wild dollar sales swing during 2004-09. “Volatility may return to the market in late

Social networks like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have put the power of the media in the hands of the average citizen. Entrepreneurs, information marketers, and college students have learned that they can be the media for audiences both large and small. They have also learned that the nightly news and the traditional print media will

It is no secret that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) audits relatively few tax returns. In fact, each year the IRS publishes the figures. The IRS’s own data reveals that slightly more than 1% of all tax returns filed were audited. The audit figures for the almost 10 million business returns filed in fiscal 2009,

Convenience store turnover is staggering—100% is typical, and 200% is common among hourly retail employees. Yet, in a Fortune magazine survey of the most admired companies, “the single best predictor of overall excellence was a company’s ability to attract, motivate and retain talented people.” Training and preparing employees for advancement is one proven method for

“Those operators who are only now waking up to the need to tend to UST-related matters need not despair. I recently put together an update for a client I have on all 50 states, and everything I remember reading said that no one’s been cast out, shut down or told they can’t operate because they

Convenience to customers today means one-stop shopping, short lines at the counter and the ability to get in and out of a store fast. New integrated point-of-sale (POS) solutions are speeding up service and offering customers the convenience they demand thanks to faster processing times. What’s more, they’re saving operators money, labor and time. Finding

The thirsty teenager steps up to a bright red vending machine and takes out her mobile phone. She places the phone near a reader attached to the machine and a cold can of cola is immediately dispensed. This scene is repeated thousands of times each day for thirsty consumers—in Japan. For almost six years, Japanese

Many retailers are breathing a sigh of relief in regard to PCI, after this summer’s deadline for software compliance was relaxed after a request by the major oil companies, giving scrambling retailers a little more time to comply. But retailers be warned: chains that face a breach could still get hit with huge fines. “Some

The recession of the past couple of years has not swayed consumers from their salty snack habits. In almost every type of data, salty snacks continue to thrive. According to NACS’ 2010 State of the Industry report, convenience store salty snack sales climbed 3.4%, while margin dollars climbed 4.8%. Since 2007, sales of salty snacks

Lighters can be an afterthought. There are relatively few manufacturers, everyone merchandises them near the front counter, liability issues have cut down on cheap products and differentiation is only skin deep. But even given the limited number of companies supplying products, lighters produce an excellent margin—between 40% and 60%—and sales have been steady for the

I just got back from the National Advisory Group’s (NAG) 2010 Ideas Conference in Charleston, S.C., and came away with a much better understanding of the issues facing small businesses and family-owned companies. Whether it’s dealing with the massive overhaul of the U.S. medical system, costly PCI compliance investments that yield no ROI or embracing

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